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| Baghdadi Jews of Indian Post Cities They are known in India as “Baghdadis,” but they hail not only from Iraq, but also from Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Turkey, even Cochin. They came to India about when the British did, and when the British left, they did too. They arrived speaking Arabic, and they left speaking English. Their numbers include some of the wealthiest families ever to make their fortunes in India, most notable Bombay’s Sassoon family – but there are others. They endowed colleges, medical research institutes, libraries, monuments, docks. They built hotels and started up industries. They supported yeshivot in Hebron, Tsfat and Jerusalem, as well as shrines throughout Israel and the Middle East. They also traded in opium. Meet some of the most remarkable personalities in either Jewish or Indian modern history: the Baghdadi Jews of Indian port cities. | 
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